Hanover firefighters give safety tips to students

As part of national Fire Prevention Week, firefighters from Hanover visited local schools to educate students on fire safety.

St. Joseph Elementary School students react as they get an up close look at Hanover fire trucks after Thursday s assembly at the school. The Hanover Fire Department visited several local schools, including St. Joseph Elementary School on Thursday, to give a fire safety presentation as part of national Fire Prevention Week. (THE EVENING SUN -- BRETT BERWAGER)

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St. Joseph school students look at a 911 T-shirt given out during Thursday s assembly that featured Hanover firefighters.

"What does a rabbit have to do with fire safety?" the fire captain asked the crowd of elementary-school students, who stared at him blankly.

It might be a strange question, Hanover Fire Cpt. Chuck Amspacher conceded as he knelt on the gym floor talking to students at St. Joseph Elementary School.

But think of how a rabbit burrows underground - its tunnels always have two ways out, Amspacher said.

And when it comes to fire safety, everyone needs to be "rabbit ready," the fire captain said, "because they always have two ways out."

"Two ways out" is the theme of this year's Fire Prevention Week, in which local firefighters visit schools and other places in the community to educate kids and adults on fire safety.

Like many local fire companies, Hanover Fire Department made rounds this week to their local elementary schools in the Hanover Public School District and St. Joseph Elementary School to review what students should do in the event of a fire.

As always, the firefighters presented the kids with a show that mixed education with plenty of silly antics to get them laughing.

Amspacher talked to students about the importance of fire-escape planning.

Schools, he said, often have fire drills that only show kids one way out of a building. But if a hallway along the route is blocked by smoke or flames, the kids and teachers need a second way out. Planning that route and practicing it can make them better prepared for an emergency, he said.

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Whether you're in a school, a house, or any other building, take a look around for the exits, Amspacher advised the students.

"You want to know the quickest way out in an emergency," he said.

And kids need to establish an emergency meeting place, somewhere they can go to outside of their house to meet their parents and siblings in an emergency.

Part of being "rabbit ready" is knowing not only how to get out of a house, but where to go when you're out, Amspacher said.

And to illustrate the point of being "rabbit ready," the fire captain asked for a little help from a magician, known in real life as firefighter Jim Startzel.

Wearing pants with flames on them, a cape and a magician's top hat, Startzel told the kids he was going to do the timeless trick of pulling a rabbit from his hat.

With a flourish of his wand and an "abracadabra," he reached into the hat. And came up empty-handed.

Obviously needing further assistance, the firefighters called for their beloved 7-foot-tall mascot, a Dalmatian named Helmet.

As the kids clapped and cheered at the sight of the spotted dog, Helmet ran on stage to help.

But still, no rabbit emerged from the hat.

Scratching their heads, the trio failed to notice a rabbit whizzing across the stage on a remote controlled car, shooting left and right to the cheers of an enthralled audience.

That was the highlight of the presentation for first-graders Jack Goedecker and Hannah Sunderland, the students said afterward as they walked outside to see Hanover's fire engines.

"The rabbit was driving the car and no one was looking," Jack said, giggling with Hannah.

But as the firefighters said in the beginning, a little practice goes a long way.

With enough tries, they managed to pull a rabbit from the hat.

And when the students were done clapping, Amspacher said the firefighters hoped students would take what they learned about fire safety and bring it home to their parents and siblings.

And then, in an emergency, their families would be ready."You'll be easier to find than rabbit,"Amspacher said, "because you'll be waiting for us."